The Lone Bellow have been recording since 2013 and their new album “What a Time to Be Alive” shows off the depth and maturity they have achieved since then. Their unpretentious sophistication combines rock swagger with their precise three part harmonies that is soul stirring.
They met with quite a challenge recording the album when their van was stolen before they were finished. They lost much of their equipment and, more importantly, the digital drives of the tracks they had completed forcing they to start from scratch. The resilience of that experience comes through as the album pulses with a renewed sense of energy.
The trio of Zach Williams, Brian Elmquist and Kanene Pipkin worked with members of their touring band on writing the songs capturing the ecstactic feel of their live shows perfectly balanced with the more earnest folk that harkens back to their earliest days. There’s even a cover of a Kenny Rogers Dolly Parton classic that avoids the cheesiness of the original.
“What a Time to be Alive” is a powerful statement by a band just now realizing their potential for moving roots rock. Says Zach Williams: “This record encapsulates everything we love and respect about each other. It’s a snapshot of the friendships we’ve built over the last decade-and-a-half, of how far we’ve come and how much we’ve grown